By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has accused his successor in office, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, of engaging in an orchestrated political witch-hunt solely targeted at rubbishing him.
Ortom’s alarm bell is tolling on the heels of the formal submission of the reports of the Commission of Inquiry on the State’s Income and Expenditure Profile to Governor Alia on Friday.
Although, details of the Commission’s report that covered receipts and expenditures of the State between 2015 and 2023 were not made public, speculations are rife that Ortom may have been seriously indicted.
But in a statement on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from Paul Zege, his spokesperson, the former Benue state Governor, while vehemently rejecting the reports, described the exercise as not genuinely inspired, but a predetermined process deliberately put in place to discredit him.
This was as he declared the probe, and its outcome a nullity, having been conducted amidst pending legal proceedings before courts of competent jurisdiction.
Ortom further informed that the Benue State Government had earlier constituted two separate panels to carry out inquests into his administration, but were later dissolved following Court’s injunctions.
According to him, similar Court orders arising from pending legal proceedings interrogating it’s legality were also served on the present Commission of Inquiry.
He however expressed serious concern and regret that the panel chose to proceed with it in total disregard of the court orders.
He explained that while proceedings in one of the pending court cases,is billed for hearing on June 29,2026 ,the state Government’s appeal at the Supreme relating to the constitutionality of the exercise is yet to be determined.
” It is astonishing that a Government which has voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the courts would proceed as though those processes do not exist”Ortom stated.
The former Governor accused his successor of only trying to use the illegal probes to mask his glaring failure in discharging pressing governance challenges facing Benue state.
He expressed disappointment that rather than attending to the growing level of insecurity, the deteriorating condition of internally displaced persons IDPs, unresolved Labour matters, as well as crisis in many sectors of the economy of the State, Governor Alia has continued to dissipate energy and resources seeking to rubbish him and his administration.
He maintained that his administration conducted its financial and other activities in line with extant rules and regulations governing public expenditures.
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